The Pear Bureau Northwest will sponsor local U.S. National Ski Team athlete Torin Koos during the 2005-06 season. Mr. Koos, a native resident of Leavenworth, WA, is a premiere Nordic ski athlete who will compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. As part of the sponsorship, he will make appearances at schools and other events as a spokesperson for USA Pears. About selecting Mr. Koos as a spokesperson, Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of the Pear Bureau Northwest, said, "Torin grew up in pear country, and as a professional athlete, he lives the messages we're trying to impart about

NEWARK, DE -- More than 1,500 produce industry professionals, including double the number of foodservice buyers as last year, gathered at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference, Tours & Exposition held July 23 to 25 in Monterey, CA. "Restaurant operators at the Foodservice Conference are up in caliber and number," PMA foodservice board Chairman Gene Harris, senior purchasing manager of Denny's Corp., said in a July 27 statement. "This reflects PMA's industry leadership and the significance that produce plays on their customer's plate." Fresh Origins, a grower-shipper and

RIVERHEAD, NY  Fresh from the Start LLC, a division of ADS Management LLC, based here, began shipping its Maine broccoli earlier this month. "We had our first cut of broccoli on July 16," said Sales Manager Eric Scannelli. We started out a little dry, but we have had very good weather conditions and the outlook for the season is very good. Now in its 10th year, Fresh from the Start shipped 600 to 700 loads of broccoli last season. We will be shipping 10 to 15 loads of broccoli a day in July and August and that will increase to 15 to 20 loads a day from September until the first hard frost

It is little surprise that a trade show named "Fancy Food" would quickly grow into one of the food industry's larger trade shows. It draws so many people that it is now held three times a year in three major U.S. cities: San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade sponsors the Fancy Food Shows. The not-for-profit business trade association was established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry. Recent Fancy Food Shows have attracted as many as 32,000 attendees from specialty food, wine, gift and department

Sun World International LLC in Bakersfield, CA, is releasing a new, custom-packed clamshell this season called Rainbow of Flavors. It features either two or three Sun World seedless grape varieties and is packaged in a two- or four-pound clamshell, which can include any combination of red, green or black seedless grapes. Mike Aiton, Sun World's senior vice president of sales and marketing, believes that the Rainbow of Flavor clamshell is a great addition to the many types of packaging Sun World currently offers. "Because we were a leader in the introduction of the clamshell package for grapes

Modesto, CA-based Save Mart Supermarkets Inc. has launched a campaign to help its suppliers recognize the size and scope of the chain and advantages the chain may have to offer. The independently owned chain of 123 stores operates under the banners Save Mart, S-Mart and Food Maxx. All its stores are in California, serving the major markets of Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, East Bay, Sacramento, Northern California and the coastal region. Yosemite Wholesale, a Save Mart-owned distribution center located in Merced, CA, supplies the chain's stores with fresh produce. Since 1995, the Save